[Archived] Footballer Jailed

[Hughesy]

The ex-goalkeeper and ex-england youth keeper Luke McCormick has today been jailed for 7 years for the death of 2 lads.

BBC News

He was seen drinking beer and downing shots of sambuca before leaving the reception at 0200 BST. He got two hours sleep before getting up and leaving for Coventry

He is however eligible for parole in three-and-a-half years' time.

What a waste of two lives.

[A cup of beans]

worst case scenario he'll be jailed for 7 years ???????????????

so the judge/ our legal system thinks that's a strong enough sentence! 3 and a half years for each of the young lads ?

well there's justice for ya ... (shakes head).

it's an insult, really.

[T4E]

Anyone know where Smithy lives? Can someone go round and check he's ok?!

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Parole in 3.5 years, he'll come out and get signed up again and his life as a footballer can continue whilst the family who lost their sons will live a life of misery.

[stuwilky]

Parole in 3.5 years, he'll come out and get signed up again and his life as a footballer can continue whilst the family who lost their sons will live a life of misery.

Whilst the length of the time seems under discussion, whenever he was released this will happen.

[1864roverite]

Your sums are totally wrong, he will not serve 3.5 yrs of this 7yr 4 months sentence.

At the very most he will be available for parole after a measly 2 years. As an educated person he will undoubtedly go to a category c prison almost immediately, embark on education, alcohol and other programmes. He will pass an exam or two and then apply for time out after two years. If he has been successful then he will get released early.

The only sympathy I have is for the family of those two lost boys.

[Eddie]

Anyone know where Smithy lives? Can someone go round and check he's ok?!

I think he might have been faster on the trigger had the player in question been more tanned or spent more time abroad...

[Nelsta]

The justice system is a load of crap, Speaking from personnel experience, They really have no clue of what they are doing.

They are so out of touch with reality it's untrue.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Their innocent lives are worth just a couple of years, according to our criminal justice system.

At the very most he will be available for parole after a measly 2 years.

I find it quite disgusting the soft sentences given out for the killing of children in cases like this. In today's PC Britain the "human rights" of criminals come first before the human rights of an innocent family - who have had their lives shattered by the arrogant lowlife scumbag Luke McCormick.

The court heard that McCormick had driven "like an idiot" while being over twice the legal alcohol limit. McCormick nearly collided with several people before the crash happened, according to Sgt Steve Robinson. If McCormick had a shred of decency he would have stopped his car on the side of the motorway and sobered up. But because of his arrogance, his selfishness and his utter contempt for other people on the road, he carried on driving which led to the tragic deaths of two young lads.

It's sickening, but I expect that in a couple of years McCormick will come out from prison and another club will welcome him back to the game of football with open arms. After all, when Lee Hughes was jailed in 2004 for causing death by dangerous driving and selfishly running away from the scene, I can remember people back then who said: "His football career is finished now".

But of course after just a couple of years inside, Hughes was able to join Oldham, much to the shame of the Greater Manchester football club who over a decade earlier had gained the sympathy of fans up and down the country when they lost in the 1990 and 1994 FA Cup semi-finals to Man United - arguably perhaps in the first case in 1990 keeping Alex Ferguson in a job, when he was under heavy pressure from the United fans in the 1989/90 season.

Oldham were unfortunate not to reach the final in 1990, with the first semi-final being drawn 3-3 and United winning the replay 2-1 after extra-time. I can remember being desperately disappointed for Oldham at the time - but I now have nothing but contempt for the current regime in charge at Oldham. If I was an Oldham fan I would have torn up my season ticket as soon as Lee Hughes was signed for the club - reportedly on half a million quid a year.

It's a source of great shame to the current Oldham manager John Sheridan and to their chairman Barry Owen that they both welcomed Hughes back to football with open arms. I found the comments of the Oldham chairman Barry Owen quite offensive when he said of Lee Hughes signing for the club: "Everybody deserves a second chance and we consider this a top-class signing."

Douglas Graham didn't get a second chance when he was killed on the road because of Lee Hughes. The two young lads Arron Peak, aged 10, and Ben Peak, aged 8, didn't get a second chance when they were killed on the motorway due to the scumbag drink-driver Luke McCormick.

For years after his selfish dangerous driving, Lee Hughes stubbornly and arrogantly refused to apologise to the victim's family and indeed he tried to appeal against his prison sentence. It was reported that the arrogant McCormick swore at the family of the young boys outside court, when relatives of the family understandably jeered the lowlife.

As with Oldham, I will have nothing but contempt for any football club that in a couple of years time rolls out the red carpet for Luke McCormick and treats the family of the victims with disdain, by giving him another lucrative professional contract.

Anyone know where Smithy lives? Can someone go round and check he's ok?!

I was busy earlier Neil, but the last time I posted about this in the Lee Hughes thread I was accused by Flopsy of having a "hysterical over reaction" and Tango posted:

Oh, give it a rest.

People make mistakes. People kill other people. They do not warrant threads attributed to them.

The glib way in which I was told "People kill other people" indicates to me that sadly in today's society, life is cheap for some people. I do feel that the lives of young Ben and Arron Peak are worth more than a couple of years.

But it's perhaps indicative of sick modern PC Britain that such soft sentences are deemed to be adequate. We haven't got enough prison places and dangerous criminals are being released far too early. The 'European Human Rights Act' - a charter for criminals and illegal immigrants - should be torn up and Britain needs to go back to dishing out tough sentences which are worthy of the crimes.

Every time that families like Mr and Mrs Peak grieve for the loss of their sons in drink drive incidents and murders, I feel that the politicians in this country have blood on their hands for failing to provide an adequately tough criminal justice system.

[T4E]

How do you know my name?! Damn, you're good....

[stuwilky]

For years after his selfish dangerous driving, Lee Hughes stubbornly and arrogantly refused It was reported that the arrogant McCormick swore at the family of the young boys outside court, when relatives of the family understandably jeered the lowlife.

Did he?

[Paul]

Well it appeared on the 10.00pm BBC news as though someone swore as it was bleeped but the TV footage was far from conclusive as to who. From what I saw just after a woman had waved a picture of the boys in McCormick's face someone said F**k Off. I thought McCormick turned his head in the direction of the words after they were said.

[Amo]

Digressing slightly, but why is it that Britain's legal system has become so lenient almost to the point of favouring the criminal? Is it because of the overcrowded prisons or something else I'm missing?

[RoversFanUSA]

Man that guys lucky hes not in the US. I know for a fact that he would have gotten atleast 25 years to life in some VERY hard prisons here in the state! Yikes, 7 years? Thats no where near enough time IMO. Youngs boys that never got to live life....Sad really

[Mc Love]

would have got less in Ireland probably

[CrazyIvan]

2 young lives = 7 years and 4 months is bad enough but to know that with 'good behaviour' etc. he'll be out in less than half that time is just plain wrong.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

After a few months of being in a tough prison in Britain, he's gonna be transferred to an open prison where he can use top notch facilities to keep himself fit for when he returns to the open world and carries on his football career.

The only people who have got a life sentence for his crime is the victims. The dad who is now paralysed and the loss of their two beautiful children.

What a sad world we live in.

[Eddie]

Here's an interesting question for you all, of those who are calling for a harsher punishment, how many of you have gone more than 10 miles over the speed limit at any point or have ever been over the legal blood-alcohol limit when driving? Not asking if you had downed a few shots before getting into the car, but unfit to drive as far as the law was concerned? I'm sure that a fairly large number of members on here will have done one or the other, quite possibly both. If you were then to have an accident you would appear to have been highly foolish and by your own standards would deserve to be locked up for a very long time. I don't not value human life and it's a very sad story, but at the same time mistakes do happen and so does human stupidity. We live in a society that doesn't seriously punish minor DUI's and speeding, so why should we then expect the book to be thrown at those who go that little bit further? It's hypocritical to the extreme. I've seen from the speed camera thread that used to be around that a sizeable portion of this messageboard hates them, which indicates that a lot of those on here don't fully respect the laws of the road.

[CrazyIvan]

Here's an interesting question for you all, of those who are calling for a harsher punishment, how many of you have gone more than 10 miles over the speed limit at any point or have ever been over the legal blood-alcohol limit when driving? Not asking if you had downed a few shots before getting into the car, but unfit to drive as far as the law was concerned? I'm sure that a fairly large number of members on here will have done one or the other, quite possibly both. If you were then to have an accident you would appear to have been highly foolish and by your own standards would deserve to be locked up for a very long time. I don't not value human life and it's a very sad story, but at the same time mistakes do happen and so does human stupidity. We live in a society that doesn't seriously punish minor DUI's and speeding, so why should we then expect the book to be thrown at those who go that little bit further? It's hypocritical to the extreme. I've seen from the speed camera thread that used to be around that a sizeable portion of this messageboard hates them, which indicates that a lot of those on here don't fully respect the laws of the road.

I know what you mean to a point. How many football fans have a couple of pints before the match then drive home afterwards? I don't do that at all any more. I have one when we get to the pub about an hour and a half before the game and that's it.

I think a person who drives after having a skinful the night before risks their own safety and the safety of those around them and getting stopped means a ban on driving for a year. Too high a risk for me to be honest. If said person then crashes and kills someone, their actions directly took another persons life and that punishment should be as high as for murder. Because the person who gets caught before having an accident gets a 'relatively minor' punishment (losing my licence and my job is a pretty serious punishment for me) doesn't mean the person who kills should get a minor punishment. The one is meant to be a deterrent from causing the second and the second shouldn't be seen as a deterrent but a rightfully earned punishment. Paying for the result of your actions rather than getting told don't do it again and, to make sure you are more careful in the future, here is a permanent reminder. There is clear and definite difference between doing something that might possibly result in an accident and one that results in an accident that killed two young children and crippled their father. In one you can learn to not do it again but in the second you don't have the option.

[Rovermatt]

Political point-scoring in a thread about two dead kids. Nothing changes eh Smithy? Classy to the end.

[A cup of beans]

Political point-scoring in a thread about two dead kids. Nothing changes eh Smithy? Classy to the end.

can you explain your point about point-scoring, rovermatt.

i cant see that anywhere in smith's article ?? i am being serious.

[Hughesy]

If you drink and drive, then you deserve the punishment. Whether it is death or just getting caught - its the same crime. The only difference is that you got lucky by not crashing.

Ban for life on driving would be one big deterant to start with.

The time in prison should obviously depend on the outcome of what happened. 4 1/2 years is nothing for 2 young lives. 5-10 years per child would of been abit more acceptable.

[broadsword]

It's not the same crime, he got charged with death by dangerous driving as well.

I think that's going over the top to be honest,bannign someone for life for drink-driving. How about chopping their hands off to make sure they can't hold a steering wheel?

[Hughesy]

It's not the same crime, he got charged with death by dangerous driving as well.

Yeah but in terms of drink driving, its the same. The only difference between him and someone that gets pulled over for drink driving is that in a way they got lucky. If you drink drive, then you always run this risk, simple as that. You are not in control of the car in the same way.

[broadsword]

Whilst not down-grading drink-driving in any way, you can't punish someone who drink drives but doesn't kill the same as someone who does (in taking their licence away forever).

How about people who talk on their mobile phones? Would you ban them for life as well?

There'll always be people who think they can get away with it, I mean shouldn't being in a car crash and killing yourself and/ or others be enough of a deterrent?

i would imagine this bloke will struggle to want to drive again anyway, even if he regains his licence.